the best laid plans (glamrock Freddy x gender neutral reader)

1. the first shift

The first day of work is always stressful, there's just no avoiding it. But as you enter the giant pizza plex, stress seems like too light of a word. Terrifying is far more accurate. It's larger than life in every sense of the word, with more sensory input than Disney world and the mall of America combined. You pull out your employee badge with shaky hands and clock in for the day. You take a deep breath and remind yourself that you earned your place here. You studied hard, got your degree, and nailed your interview! There's nothing to be afraid of!

"Take a map!" A bot shows up out of nowhere and you bite back a shocked scream as you jump into the air. The bot continues aggressively shoving a map in your face.

"I guess this place is big enough even as an employee I'll need one, thanks!" You smile at the robot and take the map. It seems satisfied and leaves you alone. Your heart rate slows again and you take a minute to look around at the entrance of the plex.

"Y/n!" A distinctly human voice calls and you look over to see your boss waving and walking to you. He shakes your hand firmly, "We're excited to have you on the team, it's not every day we get a new human employe!"

"I'm excited to be here, what should I do to start?" You ask as he releases your hand.

"Let's begin with a tour, I see you've already got your map," your boss gestures to your map then leads you through the gates and into the main pizza plex. "You can get virtually anywhere from this spot as I'm sure you can tell by all the signs! There's the gift shop, daycare, and some photo booths,"

You take note of everything as you walk through countless rooms. Even without guests the plex seems lively. There are so many possibilities for parties, conventions, and everything in between. It really is an event planners dream. Built in vendors, entertainment, and a sizable budget are just the start of the companies assets. As you approach the final stop on your tour you can hear music playing. Music plays all around the plex but this sounds different. Like it's a live performance.

The doors swing open to the show room and your jaw drops. All the animatronics are up and performing on stage. Every one of them is giving it their all, dancing, playing their instruments, and singing. It has the energy of a concert for thousands, but in reality there are only two people watching. One really, your boss isn't paying much attention.

Subconsciously, you approach the stage watching the animatronics in awe. You'd heard about their impressive abilities, but seeing it yourself is totally different. Of all the animatronics on stage though, one in particular catches your attention, the star himself, Freddy. He looks down from the stage, and for just a second freezes as you lock eyes. Then just as quickly as it happened he's back to jumping around and singing. But he keeps glancing at you until the end of the song.

The animatronics end their song with a group pose. You clap enthusiastically for them and they all take a bow. Then your boss joins you again, "y/n, meet the gang, as our new event planner you'll be working with them a lot," he introduces you then leaves to let you get acquainted.

You watch him walk off to get a milk shake at a food vendor then look back at the animatronics. They blink at you silently, waiting to see what you do next. You push down your nerves and give a bright smile, "it's a pleasure to meet you all! Your performance was absolutely amazing and I can't wait to work together!" You stick out your hand and Freddy is the first to kneel down from up on the stage to shake it.

"Thank you y/n, we're all looking forward to working with you as well!" He responds while enthusiastically shaking your hand. You feel your smile grow wider as your nerves vanish as he continues to talk, "we've heard you're an event planner, you'll have to tell us all about your ideas,"

Freddy pulls you up onto the stage effortlessly so it's easier to converse with everyone. "Well I had some ideas about our current parties but also potential gigs outside of the plex. But before I made any big plans I wanted to see what you all would like!" You tell them as you pull out your portfolio of past events you've worked on.

"I can already tell we're going to get along!" Chica cheers as she flips through your portfolio. She seems particularly interested in a trade show you worked on for new pizza making technology. Then she turns to Monty, "Isn't this exciting?"

"Sure is," he confirms then looks over at you, peering over his sun glasses, "but why are you asking what we want? None of the other employees do,"

"You all are the stars of this restaurant, you deserve a say, it's as simple as that!" You answer and he shrugs his shoulder, making a little surprised sound. The animatronics share a look, silently communicating something you don't understand. "What's up?"

They share another look then all point at Freddy, seeming to elect him to explain. He chuckles then turns back to you, "if he were paying attention, your boss would remind you we are only robots," Freddy says with an almost untraceable hint of sadness in his voice.

"Robots or not we're partners now and I value all of your input!" You cross your arms, and hear Roxy chuckle at your stubborn attitude.

Freddy shakes his head with a smile then puts a hand on your shoulder, "you are very kind," he squeezes your shoulder a little then let's go.

"Everyone look alive the plex opens in five minutes!" A new person shouts and you look over to see the security guard poking her head through the door.

"We should get backstage," Roxy says and everyone nods in agreement except Monty who plays a cool bass riff which basically translates to a thumbs up.

"Good luck guys! Find me after the show and my meetings and we can talk event management plans!" You wave to them as they head out for some final preparations.

Chica, Monty, and Roxy rush off but Freddy hangs back, "I hope we'll have time to talk again today, but in the meantime go to Vanessa with any questions you might have,"

"Thanks Freddy, any other advice I should know to survive my first day?" You joke, but Freddy leans down to your level with a very serious expression to answer your question.

"Don't stay after midnight,"